JENNIFER M. GERKEN (Houston, TX) began her dance training at age six. In 2016, she was accepted into Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. In 2019, Gerken received the Mary Martha Lappe Dance Scholarship and performed in an excerpt of Appalachian Spring by Martha Graham in the roles of the Bride and Follower. She was a student in the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program where she graduated in 2023. Gerken has performed works by William Forsythe, Mark Caserta, Ethan Colangelo, José Limón, and Paul Taylor. This is her second season with Ailey II.